Tag Archives: unpaid carers

The Digital Revolution in Unpaid Care: Empowering Carers Through Technology

From Matthew McKenzie carer activist

For Unpaid carers those who support loved ones living with long-term physical or mental health conditions, they face a unique set of challenges. The role is often demanding, emotionally taxing, and can feel isolating. Yet, in recent years, the rapid advancement of digital tools, apps, and online platforms has begun to transform the landscape of unpaid care, offering new avenues for support, organization, and connection.

My blog is a short transcript of my longer video below

Drawing from the lived experience as a passionate advocate for unpaid carers and an IT professional, my article and video explores how digitization, artificial intelligence, and mobile technology are reshaping the way informal carers manage their responsibilities. We’ll delve into the practical benefits, the most useful apps, and the limitations of technology in the caring role, providing a comprehensive guide for carers seeking to harness digital tools for their own well-being and the well-being of those they support.

Understanding the Role of Technology in Unpaid Care

The Growing Demands on Carers

Unpaid carers often juggle multiple responsibilities: managing medication schedules, tracking symptoms, coordinating appointments, and advocating for their loved ones with health professionals. The emotional and cognitive load can be overwhelming, especially when combined with work, family, and personal commitments.

As I points out, “As humans, we can only remember things so often. So, especially when we’re getting older or if we are under a lot of stress trying to juggle our caring role and busy lives, it does help to have apps that can schedule these things.”

The Promise of Digitization

Digitization offers carers a “second brain”, a way to offload tasks, reminders, and information, reducing stress and mental clutter. Mobile phones, now more powerful than ever, serve as hubs for health management, communication, and emotional support. But while technology can be transformative, it’s not without its challenges, including digital literacy, access, and the irreplaceable of value of human connection.

The Future of Care: Technology as an Empowering Force

The digital revolution is reshaping unpaid care, offering carers new ways to manage responsibilities, connect with others, and support their own well-being. While technology is not a replacement, it can be a powerful ally, reducing stress, improving organization, and fostering community.

As my experience shows, embracing digital tools can transform the caring journey. By leveraging apps for health management, communication, and emotional support, carers can reclaim control, reduce isolation, and find new sources of strength.

Ultimately, the goal is not to replace human kindness or connection, but to empower carers with the tools they need to thrive. With thoughtful adoption and ongoing support, technology can help unpaid carers navigate the challenges of their role and build a brighter, more connected future.

Resources and Recommendations my video covers

Essential Apps for Carers

Pill Reminder: Medication management and alerts
Medsafe: Medication tracking and scheduling
NHS App: Health records, care plans, and feedback (UK)
Google Calendar / Microsoft Outlook: Appointment and routine management
To-Do List / Trello: Task organization
Zoom / Microsoft Teams / Google Chat: Virtual support groups and communication
Siri / Google Assistant: Voice commands and reminders
AI Journals / Well-being Apps: Emotional support and mindfulness

Tips for Safe and Effective Use

Choose reputable apps with strong privacy policies
Keep software updated to ensure security
Seek training or support if you’re new to digital tools
Balance online and offline support for holistic well-being

Conclusion

Unpaid carers are the unsung heroes of our communities, providing vital support to those living with long-term ill health. The rise of digital tools and technology offers new hope, making the caring role more manageable, less isolating, and more connected.

By embracing digitization, carers can streamline their responsibilities, access emotional support, and build resilient communities. While challenges remain, the future of care is bright, powered by technology and the enduring spirit of human kindness.

Partnering for Better Outcomes – Reflections on My Latest Royal College of Nursing Blog

By Matthew McKenzie – Cancer Carer forum Facilitator

Partnering for Better Outcomes – Reflections on My Latest RCN Blog

Supporting someone living with cancer is a journey filled with uncertainty, responsibility, and deep emotional commitment. As many carers know, much of this work happens quietly in the background. But every so often, there’s an opportunity to shine a light on the realities carers face and the vital partnerships that make a difference.

I’m proud to share that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) recently invited me to contribute to their blog as part of a wider piece exploring how nurses support cancer caregivers. Written by Shannon Copeland (PhD researcher at Queen’s University Belfast), Partnering for better outcomes: How nurses support cancer caregivers highlights the evolving role of informal carers and the essential collaboration between families and nursing professionals.

In the blog, I shared my lived experience as an unpaid carer, the challenges, the emotional strain, and most importantly, the difference nurses can make when they recognise and support carers as part of the care team. Simple acts such as clear communication, continuity of support, and acknowledgment of a carer’s role can transform the caregiving experience.

Nurses often stand at the intersection of patient and carer needs. When they listen, guide, and empower carers, both patients and families benefit. I’m grateful to Shannon and the RCN for giving space to these conversations, and for highlighting the importance of carer voices in cancer care.

💙 Read the full RCN blog here: Partnering for better outcomes: How nurses support cancer caregivers
https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/Blogs/partnering-for-better-outcomes

If you’re a carer, a nurse, or someone interested in improving cancer support, I encourage you to give it a read and join the discussion. Together, we can continue raising awareness of the carer journey and push for better recognition, resources, and collaboration across health and social care.

Equality: Today and Tomorrow — Reflections from the Mary Webster Lecture

By Matthew McKenzie – Carer activist (volunteer of Carers UK)

Last night I attended the Mary Webster Lecture at Apothecaries’ Hall in London, a special event marking Carers UK’s 60th anniversary. As someone who has cared for family members and now volunteers with Carers UK, it was moving to sit among other carers, professionals, and campaigners who have worked so hard for recognition and equality.

The event honoured Reverend Mary Webster, the founder of Carers UK, whose vision decades ago helped lay the foundations for unpaid carers’ rights. Today, as we still fight for equality and understanding, her legacy feels more important than ever.

Setting the Scene

Apothecaries’ Hall is a grand, historic space filled with portraits and a sense of tradition. But it also felt like the right place to discuss change how we can build a future where carers are respected and supported equally. The evening began with warm welcomes and reflections from Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK. She reminded us that while progress has been made, many unpaid carers still live in poverty, often earning less than the minimum wage for full-time dedication.

Then came the highlight of the evening a talk by The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Bishop of London and recently named Archbishop of Canterbury Designate, in conversation with Baroness Jill Pitkeathley OBE, long-time carer champion and former Carers UK CEO.

Dignity in Caring

Bishop Sarah spoke with warmth and honesty about her journey from nursing to the Church. What struck me most was her story about washing her grandmother’s feet when she was a young nurse, which a simple act that carried deep dignity. She used that image to describe caring itself: often quiet, unseen, but filled with compassion and humanity.

Her message was clear that care is about dignity. Every person, regardless of ability, age, or background, has value. She reminded us that dependency isn’t weakness it’s part of being human. We all depend on others at different points in our lives.

As a Black male carer, that message really resonated. In many of our communities, caring happens quietly, often behind closed doors, without recognition or support. Bishop Sarah’s words reminded me that this invisible work deserves to be seen and respected not just by policy makers, but by society as a whole.

Lessons on Equality and Faith

Baroness Pitkeathley joined Bishop Sarah for a deep conversation about equality today and tomorrow. They reflected on how far carers’ rights have come and how far we still have to go. From health and financial struggles to workplace inequality, many of the same challenges from the 1990s remain today.

Bishop Sarah also spoke about the Church’s Reimagining Care Commission, which calls for a new “covenant of care” a moral agreement between government, communities, and families to share responsibility for those who need care. It’s not just about services, but about values: compassion, respect, and community.

Hearing that from someone soon to become the Archbishop of Canterbury gave me hope. It felt like a recognition that faith, ethics, and social justice must go hand in hand.

Voices from the Floor

The Q&A that followed was emotional and powerful. Carers from the audience spoke up about their struggles housing, mental health, disability, and the loneliness that caring can bring.

One carer shared the pain of fighting for proper housing for her disabled son; another spoke about the toll on her own health. Each voice reminded me that caring is more than statistics it’s real people doing extraordinary things every day, often without support.

My Reflection as a Black Carer Activist

As I looked around the room, I thought of the carers in Black and ethnic minority communities who face extra barriers language, stigma, or fear of not being understood. Too often, our voices are missing from the conversation. I decided to have a chat with Dame Sarah Mullally about my thoughts, still nights like this show that inclusion is possible, and necessary.

Equality for carers means also recognising our diversity on different cultures, faiths, and family structures and ensuring that every carer can access the help they need, without judgement or struggle.

I left the event feeling encouraged but also challenged. Encouraged by the leadership and compassion of women like Bishop Sarah and Baroness Pitkeathley, who continue to champion carers’ rights. Challenged, because the journey isn’t over and each of us, whatever our background, has a role to play.

A Call for Tomorrow

Sixty years after Mary Webster founded Carers UK, unpaid carers are still holding society together.

We save the country billions, yet too many of us live in hardship. As Bishop Sarah said, we must rethink how we value care not as a cost, but as a cornerstone of our humanity.

For me, as a carer activist, that means continuing to speak up, share stories, and bring carers from all communities together. Because equality today and tomorrow starts with being seen, heard, and valued.

Shaping the Future of Support for Unpaid Carers in Lewisham

By Matthew McKenzie FRSA BEM – Triangle of Care community chair

As a carer living in Lewisham, I know just how important it is that our voices are heard and that the support available truly meets our needs. Whether we’re looking after a parent, a partner, a child, or a friend, we all share the same challenges balancing care responsibilities, work, our own wellbeing, and often feeling invisible in the process.

That’s why I wanted to share something that directly affects all of us. Lewisham Council and the NHS South East London ICB are currently developing a new Action Plan for Unpaid Carers (2025–2028). This plan will set out how the Council aims to identify, value, and support more carers over the next few years.

The team leading this work, including a new member who recently joined the Adults Integrated Commissioning Team, is reaching out to carers across the borough to get our feedback.

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Lewisham, Southwark & Lambeth carer forum update October 2025

The recent Carers Forum brought together unpaid carers, health professionals, and community organisations from across South London to share updates, experiences, and ideas for improving mental health support. The event, chaired by Matthew McKenzie, created a safe and open space for carers to connect, exchange information, and have their questions heard by local health leaders.

Setting the Scene

Matthew opened the session by welcoming carers from across Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark. He spoke about the importance of providing carers with dedicated time to hear from service providers, particularly those supporting someone with mental ill-health and to ensure their voices shape local mental health strategies.

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Black History Month: Standing Firm in Power and Pride

By Matthew McKenzie – Founder of A Caring Mind, unpaid carer, and advocate for ethnic minority carers

This October 2025, I had the privilege of joining Carers Support West Sussex to speak during their Black History Month celebrations under the theme “Standing Firm in Power and Pride.”

Carers Support West Sussex provides advice, emotional support, and practical help to unpaid carers across the county of West Sussex, ensuring they are recognised, valued, and empowered in their caring roles. Their work helps thousands of carers connect with the right information, resources, and community networks when it matters most.

As a Black, unpaid carer of lived experience, I spoke about Race, Inequality, and Carer Voices exploring how racism and structural inequality continue to shape the experiences of carers from ethnic minority backgrounds.

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The Power of Lived Experience and Carer Voices in Healthcare: A Conversation with Hannah Codogin

By Matthew McKenzie – Carer activist

In a recent interview, Matthew McKenzie sat down with Hannah Codigan, a palliative care nurse who brings a unique perspective to healthcare, not only as a professional but also as someone with lived experience of serious mental illness. Together, they explored the importance of recognising unpaid carers and embedding lived experience voices in the design and delivery of healthcare services.

Caring Beyond the Patient

Hannah shared how her role in hospice care extends beyond patients to include families and carers who often struggle without recognition. She emphasised that carers need as much emotional and practical support as the people they care for, noting how time pressures in nursing can make it difficult to truly listen to their experiences.

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Calling All Carers: Get Involved with the OSMOSIS Research Project

Blog by Matthew McKenzie – Carer activist

As someone who’s been advocating for carers for years through A Caring Mind, I know how important it is that carers’ experiences influence the way support systems are built. The OSMOSIS project offers a real chance to help improve understanding and services for those of us supporting loved ones with severe mental health conditions.

If you are caring for someone living with psychosis, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder, here’s an opportunity to make your voice heard.

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What Makes for Meaningful Carer Involvement?

By Matthew McKenzie FRSA BEM, Chair, Triangle of Care Community Group

This week’s Triangle of Care Member Webinar, hosted by Carers Trust, which focused on a vital question: What makes for meaningful carer involvement?

We heard from across the Triangle of Care network, these being carers, professionals, and trust representatives coming together to share what genuine involvement looks like in practice.

I spoke about my own lived experience as a carer, supporting two non-verbal brothers with autism and my late mother with mental health challenges and how this journey has shaped my advocacy for stronger partnerships between carers and professionals.

Over the years, through the Triangle of Care, I’ve seen how much difference early and equal involvement can make.

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Lewisham, Southwark & Lambeth carer forum update September 2025

By Matthew McKenzie – Carer activist and facilitator of the group

The group is a community of carers in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham that exists to provide support, advocacy, and connection for people looking after loved ones living with mental illness. It brings together unpaid carers of all ages and backgrounds to share experiences, learn from one another, and build confidence in dealing with health and social care professionals. A core part of its mission is reducing isolation by creating a safe space where carers can speak openly, develop skills, and access practical resources like advocacy services.

The meeting began with introductions and updates from various participants, including myselff where I discussed work with London Hospitals and the NHS app, while other carers introduced themselves to the group. In attendance was Tama from PohWer presented information about carer complaints and support services across different regions, including discussions about the potential impact of Healthwatch’s dissolution on patient and carer support services.

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